HHS uses funds to inspect ambulatory care centers
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is allocating $10 million to beef up infection prevention surveys in ambulatory settings, according to recent Congressional hearings. The funds come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which provided $50 million to prevent health care-associated infections (HAIs).
As previously reported, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) inspectors saw nothing amiss with needle practices in a Las Vegas endoscopy center that ultimately led to a nationally publicized hepatitis C outbreak last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a survey tool to ensure that infection control is routinely assessed in any CMS inspection. The $10 million will be used to implement the survey tool nationally and hire more inspectors to ensure better oversight of outpatient settings.
States get $40 million
The remaining $40 million will be allocated by the CDC for prevention efforts in individual states. Under the funding solicitation to states for ARRA funds, there will be specific guidance instructing states that they can choose to use stimulus monies to develop their HAI reduction plans, detect and report HAI data, or establish prevention collaboratives, the CDC reports. States can pick two of three approaches in seeking the funding:
- Creating or expanding state-based HAI prevention collaboratives that will implement HHS recommendations and use CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network to measure outcomes and prevent HAIs.
- Enhancing states abilities to assess where HAIs are occurring and evaluate the impact of hospital-based interventions in other health care settings.
- Building a public health work force in health departments that can lead statewide initiatives to ensure progress toward the national prevention targets outlined in the HHS HAI action plan.
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